


Here for You

by ellymango



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Gold & Silver & Crystal | Pokemon Gold Silver Crystal Versions
Genre: Angst, Comfort/Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-04-24 20:02:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4933429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellymango/pseuds/ellymango
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn't like him to not show up to work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Here for You

_No answer._

It really wasn't uncommon for gym leaders to miss a day from work, heck, it was even quite _normal_. They were only human after all, and like anyone else there was no telling when a random illness or something else would strike unexpectedly and thus keep them from work. That said, it _wasn't_ so normal for them to not give an explanation as to why they hadn't shown up at work…

… Which is the reason why Lance was now cruising through the skies above Johto, headed straight for Violet City. He was no stranger to the local gym leader, in fact he considered him to be a family friend almost: both of their fathers had served in the war, forming a close bond with one another which was passed down to their respective sons, despite a rather significant age gap between the pair. Needless to say, he knew Falkner well, hence why his unexplained absence from the gym and loss of contact was particularly unnerving. It just… wasn’t like him to skip a day from work in the first place, let alone not tell anyone why he was doing so...

Falkners home was quiet, save for the constant chirruping of the birds from the private aviary located at the back of the house. Lance rapped the door lightly, listening intensely for any sound from within. His ears pricked at the sound of footsteps approaching the door from the other side. 

The door opened a fraction, a single teal eye peering out from the shadow. Even from his eye alone, Lance could tell that Falkner was in a fairly rough state: it was puffed and reddened, and he barely looked Lance in the face before letting him in.

The hallway was already dark, and when the door closed behind them Lance was plunged into a terribly uneasy and gloomy atmosphere. Once he'd adjusted to the poor light, he saw that Falkner still had his back turned away from him, his hand still lingering on the door. It was glaringly obvious that something was horribly, _horribly_ wrong.

The silence between them was stifling, yet there felt as if there was some supernatural force preventing both of them from speaking. 

Falkner was the first to break it.

"I... I apologise for my absence today..." Lance could almost hear tears in his voice.

"It's really not that much of a problem..." A white lie maybe, but the boy was visibly (and audibly) distressed. Adding insult to injury would be beyond cruel.

"I guess you're wondering..." Falkners voice caught, and he took a moment to regain his composure before turning towards Lance, head still bowed. "S-sorry... I..." 

Lance swayed uneasily. Crying was something he rarely dealt with, and though he could feel sympathy as easily as anyone else, comforting people was a different story altogether. "Deep breaths. Take your time." 

Falkner tensed, trembling as his voice snagged in his throat as he tried to speak. _"My... father, he..."_

That was all Lance needed to hear to understand, to snap him from "work" mode to "friend" mode as he would put it. Or at least, into a slightly more... openly sympathetic mode. "Falkner, I..." But he had no words. 

Without saying anything, Falkner suddenly threw himself at the Champion, burying his face into his neck. This time, it was Lances turn to tense for a split second, before wrapping his arms around the boy in an awkward embrace. _"You can cry, you know. Especially at a time like this..."_

Falkner clung to him and cried.

**Author's Note:**

> What does Ellies writing look like a 1am? Like this! 
> 
> Also look! I'm able to write fanfic that's not about Originshipping!


End file.
